Mooring retrieval device

ABSTRACT

A mooring retrieval device for retrieving a mooring rope in water, the device comprising a buoyant member adapted to be tethered to the end of the mooring rope. An elongate retrieval member having an end adapted to engage with the buoyant member whereby, in use, the end of a mooring rope tethered to the buoyant member can be more easily retrieved. Advantageously the end of the retrieval member engages with the buoyant member by magnetic attraction.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.13/517,102, filed on Jun. 19, 2012 which is the U.S. national phase ofPCT Appln. No. PCT/AU2010/001336 filed on Oct. 11, 2010, which claimspriority to AU Patent Application No. 2009904933 filed on Oct. 9, 2009,the disclosures of which are incorporated in their entirety by referenceherein.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a mooring retrieval device for a marinecraft and relates particularly, though not exclusively, to a mooringretrieval device for attaching a marine craft to a mooring buoy.

BACKGROUND

It is quite common for boat owners to purchase a mooring in a river,lake or ocean bay where their boat may be temporarily moored when not inuse. The mooring typically consists of a chain or other tether which isanchored at one end to the riverbed or seabed. The other end is attachedto a buoy which clearly marks the location of the mooring and ensuresthat a boat can be moored to the chain or tether. Typically one of moremooring ropes is connected to the mooring buoy for attaching a boat tothe mooring. In practice it is often difficult to retrieve one of thesemooring ropes as they do not necessarily float on the surface of thewater. Furthermore, it is difficult to maintain the position of the boatrelative to the mooring buoy whilst trying to locate the mooring rope,particularly in choppy conditions.

The present invention was developed with a view to providing a mooringretrieval device that simplifies the process of retrieving a mooringrope in water. Clearly the mooring retrieval device will have otherapplications where it may be necessary to retrieve an object floating inthe water.

References to prior art documents in this specification are provided forillustrative purposes only and are not to be taken as an admission thatsuch prior art is part of the common general knowledge in Australia orelsewhere.

SUMMARY

According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided amooring retrieval device for retrieving a mooring rope in water, thedevice comprising:

-   -   a buoyant member adapted to be tethered to the end of a mooring        rope; a retrieval member having means adapted to engage with the        buoyant member whereby, in use, the end of a mooring rope        tethered to the buoyant member can be more easily retrieved.

Preferably the buoyant member comprises a magnetic means and the meansadapted to engage with the buoyant member comprises a magnetic meansprovided in connection with the retrieval member wherein, in use, theretrieval member engages with the buoyant member by magnetic attraction.Advantageously the magnetic means is provided with a resilient neck forconnecting the magnetic means to the retrieval member wherein, in use,the resilient neck permits the magnetic means of the retrieval member tomore readily engage with the magnetic means of the buoyant member.

In one embodiment the retrieval member comprises an elongate memberhaving the means adapted to engage with the buoyant member provided atone end. In another embodiment the retrieval member comprises an endpiece adapted to be attached to the end of an elongate member.

Preferably the buoyant member is provided with a ballast means adaptedto keep the buoyant member in an upright condition in use. Preferablythe magnetic means of the buoyant member comprises a permanent magnetprovided in an upper portion of the buoyant member that sits above thesurface of the water when it is in an upright condition in use.

Typically the buoyant member is of a generally spherical shape, and isformed by joining together an upper hemispherical body and a lowerhemispherical body. In a preferred embodiment the upper hemisphericalbody is formed with a depression in its upper surface, and the permanentmagnet is mounted within the base of the depression. The depression aidsin locating the magnetic means provided in connection with the end ofthe retrieval member so that it engages with the permanent magnet in thebuoyant member. Preferably the magnetic means provided in connectionwith the end of the retrieval member also comprises a permanent magnet.

In the preferred embodiment the lower hemispherical body is formed withthe ballast means in the lowermost region of the hemispherical body whenthe buoyant member is in an upright condition. Preferably the ballastmeans comprises a piece of metal.

Advantageously the buoyant member has an elongate flexible memberprovided in connection therewith, wherein the buoyant member can betethered to the end of a mooring rope by means of the elongate flexiblemember. Preferably the elongate flexible member has a small weightprovided in connection therewith whereby, in use, under the force ofgravity acting on the ballast the buoyant member is drawn closer to theend of the mooring rope.

According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided abuoyant member for a mooring retrieval device for retrieving a mooringrope in water, the buoyant member comprising a buoyant body adapted tobe tethered to the end of a mooring rope, the buoyant body being adaptedto engage with an end of an elongate retrieval member whereby, in use,the end of a mooring rope tethered to the buoyant member can be moreeasily retrieved.

Preferably the buoyant member comprises a magnetic means and the end ofthe retrieval member also has a magnetic means provided in connectiontherewith wherein, in use, the end of the retrieval member engages withthe buoyant member by magnetic attraction.

Preferably the buoyant member is provided with a ballast means adaptedto keep the buoyant member in an upright condition in use. Preferablythe magnetic means of the buoyant member comprises a permanent magnetprovided in an upper portion of the buoyant member that sits above thesurface of the water when it is in an upright condition in use.

Typically the buoyant member is of a generally spherical shape, and isformed by joining together an upper hemispherical body and a lowerhemispherical body. In a preferred embodiment the upper hemisphericalbody is formed with a depression in its upper surface, and the permanentmagnet is mounted within the base of the depression. The depression aidsin locating the magnetic means provided in connection with the end ofthe retrieval member so that it engages with the permanent magnet in thebuoyant member.

According to a still further aspect of the present invention there isprovided an end piece for a mooring retrieval device for retrieving amooring rope in water, the end piece being adapted to engage with abuoyant member tethered to the end of the mooring rope whereby, in use,the end of the mooring rope tethered to the buoyant member can be moreeasily retrieved.

Preferably the end piece has a magnetic means provided in connectiontherewith and adapted to engage with a magnetic means provided in thebuoyant member wherein, in use, the end piece engages with the buoyantmember by magnetic attraction. Advantageously the end piece is formedwith a resilient neck for connecting the magnetic means to the retrievalmember wherein, in use, the resilient neck permits the magnetic means ofthe retrieval member to more readily engage with the magnetic means ofthe buoyant member.

Advantageously the resilient neck with the magnetic means is movablefrom a refracted position to an extended position. Preferably a steelring is provided adjacent an outer extremity of the end piece forholding the magnetic means in its retracted position by magneticattraction. In one embodiment the end piece is in the form of a handlepiece. Typically the handle piece is formed with a grip surface on itsouter circumference.

Preferably the magnetic means provided in connection with the end piececomprises a permanent magnet. Preferably the end piece is adapted to bereceived on the end of an elongate member such as a pole or rod so as toform an elongate retrieval member. Advantageously the end piece furthercomprises a hook member adapted to catch the end of a mooring ropetherewith.

Throughout the specification, unless the context requires otherwise, theword “comprise” or variations such as “comprises” or “comprising”, willbe understood to imply the inclusion of a stated integer or group ofintegers but not the exclusion of any other integer or group ofintegers. Likewise the word “preferably” or variations such as“preferred”, will be understood to imply that a stated integer or groupof integers is desirable but not essential to the working of theinvention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The nature of the invention will be better understood from the followingdetailed description of several specific embodiments of the mooringretrieval device, given by way of example only, with reference to theaccompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a top perspective view of a first embodiment of a mooringretrieval device according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an exploded section view of a buoyant member for the mooringretrieval device of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 illustrates a first step in the method of retrieving the end of amooring rope using the mooring retrieval device of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 illustrates a second step in the method of retrieving the end ofa mooring rope using the mooring retrieval device of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a side elevation of an end piece in a second embodiment of amooring retrieval device according to the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a section view through the line C-C of the end piece in FIG.5.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the end piece of FIG. 5.

FIG. 8 is a side elevation of the end piece of FIG. 5 shown in anextended condition.

FIG. 9 is a section view through the line D-D of the end piece of FIG.8.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the end piece of FIG. 8.

FIG. 11 Illustrates how the mooring retrieval device with end piece ofFIGS. 5 to 10 is used for retrieving the end of a mooring rope.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

As required, detailed embodiments of the present invention are disclosedherein; however, it is to be understood that the disclosed embodimentsare merely exemplary of the invention that may be embodied in variousand alternative forms. The figures are not necessarily to scale; somefeatures may be exaggerated or minimized to show details of particularcomponents. Therefore, specific structural and functional detailsdisclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as arepresentative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variouslyemploy the present invention.

A first embodiment of a mooring retrieval device 10 according to thepresent invention, for retrieving a mooring rope in water, as shown inFIGS. 1 to 4 of the accompanying drawings, comprises a buoyant member 12adapted to be tethered to the end of a mooring rope 14 (see FIGS. 3 and4). The device further comprises a retrieval member 16 having an end 18adapted to engage with the buoyant member 12 whereby, in use, the end ofthe mooring rope 14 can be more easily retrieved.

The buoyant member 12 preferably comprises a magnetic means 20 and theend 18 of the retrieval member 16 preferably also has a magnetic means22 provided in connection therewith. Hence, in use, the end 18 of theretrieval member 16 can engage with the buoyant member 12 by magneticattraction. Preferably the buoyant member 12 is provided with a ballastmeans 24 (see FIG. 2) adapted to keep the buoyant member 12 in anupright condition in use. In this embodiment the magnetic means of thebuoyant member 12 comprises a permanent magnet 20 in the shape of a discprovided in an upper portion of the buoyant member 12 that sits abovethe surface of the water when it is in an upright condition in use.

As shown in the drawings, the buoyant member 12 is of a generallyspherical shape, and is formed by joining together an upperhemispherical body 26 and a lower hemispherical body 28, as illustratedin FIG. 2. In the illustrated embodiment the upper hemispherical body 26is formed with a depression 30 in its upper surface, and the permanentmagnet 20 is mounted within the base of the depression 30. Thedepression 30 aids in locating the magnetic means provided in connectionwith the end 18 of the retrieval member 16 so that it engages with thepermanent magnet 20 in the buoyant member. Preferably the magnetic meansprovided in connection with the end 18 of the retrieval member 16 alsocomprises a permanent magnet 22.

In the illustrated embodiment the lower hemispherical body 28 is formedwith the ballast means 24 in the lowermost region of the hemisphericalbody 28 when the buoyant member 12 is in an upright condition.Preferably the ballast means 24 comprises a piece of heavy metal such aslead. The bulk of the two hemispherical bodies 26 and 28 are filled witha buoyant material such as a blown plastics material, for example,polystyrene foam. The external surfaces of the buoyant member 12 arepreferably coloured with a bright iridescent colour so as to be clearlyvisible in the water.

Advantageously the buoyant member 12 has an elongate flexible member inthe form of a line 32 provided in connection therewith. The line 32enables the buoyant member 12 to be tethered to the end of a mooringrope 14, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. The line 32 is tied to the end ofthe mooring rope 14 on the first occasion when a boat is moored to amooring 40. Preferably the line 32 has a small weight 34 provided inconnection therewith whereby, in use, under the force of gravity, actingon the weight 34, the buoyant member 12 is drawn closer to the end ofthe mooring rope 14.

The retrieval member 16 is preferably formed by attaching an end piece18 to the end of an elongate member 36 such as a wooden or aluminiumpole or rod. The end piece 18 is adapted to connect by a threadedconnection or friction fit to the end of the pole or rod 36, as can beseen most clearly in FIG. 1. The end piece 18 has the permanent magnet22 provided in connection therewith and is adapted to engage with thepermanent magnet 20 provided in the buoyant member 12 by magneticattraction. Preferably the end piece 18 is formed with a resilient neck15 connecting the magnet 22 to a body of the end piece 18 wherein, inuse, the resilient neck 15 permits the magnet 22 to more readily engagewith the permanent magnet 20 of the buoyant member. Advantageously theend piece 18 further comprises a hook member 38 adapted to catch the endof a mooring rope therewith.

A preferred method of retrieving a mooring rope 14 using the mooringretrieval device 10 will now be described with reference to FIGS. 3 and4. A boat mooring 40 comprises a mooring buoy 42 and one or more mooringropes 14 for mooring a boat to the mooring 40. Assuming the buoyantmember 12 has previously been tethered to the end of one of the mooringropes 14 a, the first step when retrieving the mooring rope is to usethe elongate retrieval member 16 to retrieve the buoyant member 12. Thisis done by reaching out with the retrieval member 16 and locating theend piece 18 of the retrieval member in the depression 30 on the top ofthe buoyant member 12, as shown in FIG. 3.

The buoyant member 12 may be easily seen floating on the surface of thewater, and it is relatively straightforward to locate the end 18 of theretrieval member 16 in the depression 30. Once the magnet 22 on the end18 of the retrieval member 16 comes into close proximity to the magnet20 in the buoyant member 12, the magnet 22 of the retrieval member 16will engage with the buoyant member 12 by magnetic attraction, and thebuoyant member 12 attached to the end of the retrieval member 16 canthen be hauled into the boat. The resilient neck 15 helps to ensure thatthe magnet 22 does not disengage from the magnet 20 of the buoyantmember while it is being hauled in. It is then a simple matter to securethe mooring rope to the boat. A second mooring rope 14 b can be easilydrawn from the water using the hook member 38 on the end 18 of theretrieval member.

Clearly multiple buoyant members 12 may be deployed for each mooringrope if desired. Only one retrieval member 16 per boat is required. Ifthe end piece 18 of the retrieval member is inadvertently damaged orlost, a replacement part can be purchased and attached to the pole orrod 36.

FIGS. 5 to 11 illustrate a second embodiment of the mooring retrievaldevice 50 according to the present invention. Some parts of the mooringretrieval device 50 are substantially the same as that of the mooringretrieval device 10 and therefore the same reference numerals will beused to identify these parts and they will not be described again indetail here. As with the first embodiment, the mooring retrieval device50 comprises a buoyant member 12 adapted to be tethered to the end of amooring rope 14 (see FIG. 11). The device 50 further comprises aretrieval member 56 having an end piece 58 adapted to engage with thebuoyant member 12 whereby, in use, the end of the mooring rope 14 can bemore easily retrieved.

The retrieval member 56 of this embodiment may, for example, be aconventional boat hook comprising an elongate member 36 such as awooden, fiber glass or aluminium pole or rod having a hook (not visible)provided at one end and a handle at the other end. In this embodimentthe end piece 58 is in the form of a handle piece 58 which is adapted toconnect by a threaded connection or friction fit to the handle end ofthe pole or rod 36, as can be seen in FIG. 11. The handle piece 58 wouldreplace the original handle on the handle end of the pole or rod 36. Thehandle piece 58 has a permanent magnet 60 provided in connectiontherewith and is adapted to engage with the permanent magnet 20 providedin the buoyant member 12 by magnetic attraction.

Preferably the handle piece 58 is formed with a retractable neck 62connecting the magnet 60 to a body portion 63 of the handle piece 58. Ascan be seen most clearly in FIGS. 6 and 9, the retractable neck 62 isadapted to slide within the hollow interior of the body portion 63 ofthe handle piece 58 and is prevented from falling out of the end of theend piece by an end stop 66. Preferably the retractable neck 62 is madefrom a resilient material, such as rubber, wherein, in use, theretractable neck 62 permits the magnet 60 to more readily engage withthe permanent magnet 20 of the buoyant member.

The body portion 63 is of hollow cylindrical construction, and has agrip surface 64 provided on part of its outer circumferential surface topermit the handle piece to be more readily gripped. On the outerextremity of the grip surface 64 a recessed annulus is provided with sixstandoffs 68 about its circumference, as can be seen most clearly inFIG. 10. The standoffs 68 are resilient and are each formed with anoutwardly protruding hook portion thereon for retaining a steel ring 70about the outer extremity of the grip surface 64. The steel ring 70 ispreferably made of magnetic stainless steel and is designed to interactmagnetically with the magnet 60. Magnetic attraction between the magnet60 and steel ring 70 keeps the magnet 60 in its retracted position, asshown in FIGS. 5 to 7.

A preferred method of retrieving a mooring rope 14 using the mooringretrieval device 50 will now be described with reference to FIG. 11. Aboat mooring 40 comprises a mooring buoy 42 and one or more mooringropes 14 for mooring a boat to the mooring 40. Assuming the buoyantmember 12 has previously been tethered to the end of one of the mooringropes 14, the first step when retrieving the mooring rope is to use theelongate retrieval member 56 to retrieve the buoyant member 12. If themooring rope cannot be retrieved using the conventional boat hook end ofthe retrieval member 56, the retrieval member 56 can be reversed so thatnow the other end with the handle piece 58 is used, as shown in FIG. 11.

This is done by reaching out with the retrieval member 56 and locatingthe end piece 58 of the retrieval member in the depression 30 on the topof the buoyant member 12, as shown in FIG. 11. The buoyant member 12 maybe easily seen floating on the surface of the water, and it isrelatively straightforward to locate the end piece 58 of the retrievalmember 56 in the depression 30. Advantageously, as the permanent magnet60 on the end piece 58 comes into close proximity to the magnet 20 inthe buoyant member 12, the retractable neck 62 moves to its extendedposition due to magnetic attraction. The force of magnetic attractionbetween the permanent magnets 20 and 60 is much stronger than themagnetic attraction between the magnet 60 and steel ring 70.

The resilient nature of the neck 62 makes it easier to bring the magnet60 of the end piece 58 into engagement with the magnet 20 of the buoyantmember 12. Once the magnet 60 engages with the magnet 20 it isrelatively straightforward to retrieve the mooring rope 14, since thebuoyant member 12 is now attached to the end of the retrieval member 56and it can then be hauled into the boat. It is then a simple matter tosecure the mooring rope to the boat.

Now that preferred embodiments of the mooring retrieval device have beendescribed in detail, it will be apparent that the embodiments provide anumber of advantages over the prior art, including the following:

-   -   (i) It facilitates easy retrieval of a mooring rope in the        water, even in choppy conditions.    -   ii) It is easy to use, requiring no specialised training or        skills.    -   iii) It is simple to deploy and robust in design.    -   iv) It may be manufactured from inexpensive moulded plastics        and/or aluminium materials.    -   v) The retrieval member may be readily stowed on board a marine        craft as it does not take up much room.

It will be readily apparent to persons skilled in the relevant arts thatvarious modifications and improvements may be made to the foregoingembodiments, in addition to those already described, without departingfrom the basic inventive concepts of the present invention. For example,it is not necessary for the buoyant member to be of generally sphericalshape as in the preferred embodiment. The buoyant member may be of anysuitable shape. Therefore, it will be appreciated that the scope of theinvention is not limited to the specific embodiments described and is tobe determined from the appended claims.

While exemplary embodiments are described above, it is not intended thatthese embodiments describe all possible forms of the invention. Rather,the words used in the specification are words of description rather thanlimitation, and it is understood that various changes may be madewithout departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.Additionally, the features of various implementing embodiments may becombined to form further embodiments of the invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A mooring retrieval device for retrieving amooring rope in water, the device comprising: a buoyant member adaptedto be tethered to the end of a mooring rope and comprising a firstpermanent magnet; and a retrieval member having means adapted to engagewith the buoyant member in the form of a second permanent magnetconnected to an end of the retrieval member wherein, in use, the end ofthe retrieval member engages with the buoyant member by magneticattraction between the first and second permanent magnets.
 2. A mooringretrieval device as defined in claim 1 wherein retrieval member isprovided with a resilient neck for connecting the second permanentmagnet to the end of the retrieval member wherein, in use, the resilientneck permits the second permanent magnet to more readily engage with thefirst permanent magnet of the buoyant member.
 3. A mooring retrievaldevice as defined in claim 1, wherein the second permanent magnet isprovided with a retractable neck for connecting the second permanentmagnet to the end of the retrieval member wherein, in use, the resilientneck permits the second permanent magnet to more readily engage with thefirst permanent magnet of the buoyant member.
 4. A mooring retrievaldevice as defined in claim 1, wherein the retrieval member comprises anelongate member having the means adapted to engage with the buoyantmember provided at its said end.
 5. A mooring retrieval device asdefined in claim 1, wherein the retrieval member comprises an end pieceadapted to be attached to an end of an elongate member.
 6. A mooringretrieval device as defined in claim 1, wherein the retrieval membercomprises a handle piece adapted to be attached to an end of an elongatemember.
 7. A mooring retrieval device as defined in claim 1, wherein thebuoyant member is provided with a ballast means adapted to keep thebuoyant member in an upright condition in use.
 8. A mooring retrievaldevice as defined in claim 1, wherein the first permanent magnet isprovided in an upper portion of the buoyant member that sits above thesurface of the water when it is in an upright condition, in use.
 9. Amooring retrieval device as defined in claim 1, wherein the buoyantmember is of a generally spherical shape, and is formed by joiningtogether an upper hemispherical body and a lower hemispherical body. 10.A mooring retrieval device as defined in claim 9, wherein the upperhemispherical body is formed with a depression in its upper surface, andthe first permanent magnet is mounted within the depression.
 11. Amooring retrieval device as defined in claim 10, wherein the depressionaids in locating second permanent magnet provided in connection with theend of the retrieval member so that it engages with the first permanentmagnet in the depression of the buoyant member.
 12. A mooring retrievaldevice as defined in claim 9, wherein the lower hemispherical body isformed with the ballast means in the lowermost region of thehemispherical body when the buoyant member is in an upright condition.13. A mooring retrieval device as defined in claim 1, wherein thebuoyant member has an elongate flexible member provided in connectiontherewith whereby, in use, the buoyant member can be tethered to the endof a mooring rope by means of the elongate flexible member.
 14. Amooring retrieval device as defined in claim 13, wherein the elongateflexible member has a small weight provided in connection therewithwhereby, in use, under the force of gravity acting on the ballast thebuoyant member is drawn closer to the end of the mooring rope.
 15. Anend piece for a mooring retrieval device for retrieving a mooring ropein water, the end piece being adapted to engage with a buoyant membertethered to the end of the mooring rope, the buoyant member having afirst permanent magnet and the end piece having a second permanentmagnet provided in connection therewith and adapted to engage with thefirst permanent magnet provided in the buoyant member wherein, in use,the end piece engages with the buoyant member by magnetic attraction andthe end of the mooring rope tethered to the buoyant member can be moreeasily retrieved.
 16. An end piece as defined in claim 15, wherein theend piece is formed with a resilient neck for connecting the secondpermanent magnet to the retrieval member wherein, in use, the resilientneck permits the second permanent magnet to more readily engage with thefirst permanent magnet of the buoyant member.
 17. An end piece asdefined in claim 16, wherein the resilient neck with the secondpermanent magnet is movable from a retracted position to an extendedposition.
 18. An end piece as defined in claim 17, wherein a steel ringis provided adjacent an outer extremity of the end piece for holding thesecond permanent magnet in its retracted position by magneticattraction.
 19. An end piece as defined in claim 15, in the form of ahandle piece.
 20. An end piece as defined in claim 15, wherein the endpiece is adapted to be received on the end of an elongate member, suchas a pole or rod so as to form an elongate retrieval member.